The Miami Marlins tendered contracts to left fielder Marcell Ozuna, catcher J.T. Realmuto and all of their four other arbitration-eligible players by the 8 p.m. Friday deadline to do so.

The offers were expected and a formality, the team telling the players that they’ll have a one-year contract for 2018, for a salary to be determined. This does not guarantee that any particular player will indeed play for the Marlins this season, but does guarantee that the Marlins — or the team that trades for Ozuna or anybody else — will have that player under contract.

Those players’ 2018 salaries will be determined through the arbitration process in January and February, unless the Marlins and each player’s representatives can agree on a salary figure beforehand.

Generally, players with between three and six years of major-league service time are eligible for arbitration, through which major leaguers receive their first significant raises from the major-league minimum ($535,000 in 2017). Had the Marlins chosen to non-tender a player, he would have become a free agent.

Technically, the Marlins tendered contracts Friday to 32 players in all, though 26 of them have not yet reached arbitration and are due to make the major league minimum, or something close to it, in 2018. They have effectively no leverage when it comes to determining their salaries.

Ozuna and Dietrich are heading into their second year of arbitration. The other four are arbitration-eligible for the first time.

Ozuna — after his All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove season that saw him post career-highs in every major offensive category, including home runs (37) and RBI (124) — is due for a big raise from the $3.5 million he made in 2017. MLBTradeRumors.com projects Ozuna to make $10.9 million in 2018.

Again, simply tendering a player a contract does not forbid the Marlins from trading these players. The Marlins this offseason are looking to cut payroll, which includes looking to trade Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and others.

Of this bunch, Ozuna, with an estimated salary more than double any of the others, would seem to also be a candidate to be moved.

“There’s some players that are more likely or less likely to get moved,” president of baseball operations Michael Hill said last month.